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(No Model.)

W. A. WRIGHT.

, SPIKE EXTRAGTOR. No. 301,077.- Patented June 24, 1884.

WITNESSES! VENR; ZM' %%W9.

BY 5/ 112m u, Pains Phmoiilhographer. Walhiugtcm. n. c.

IINIIEE STATES ATFNT @EEIIJE.

WILLIAM A. WRIGHT, OF GENTRETON, NEW JERSEY, .ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT ANDMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO A. J. LAMBORN, or PHILADELPHIA, PA.

SPI KE EXTRACTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,077, dated June 24,1884:.

Application filed August 31, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gentreton, in the county of Burlington, State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Improvement in SpilreFxtractors, whichimprovement is fully set forth in the following specification andaccompanying drawings, in which- IO Figure 1 is a side elevation of aspike-ex- I tractor embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or-plan viewthereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

I 5 My invention consists of a spike-extractor of novel construction,easily operated, and possessing strength and durability, as will behereinafter fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a yoke, which is'formed with ahook, a, a base or foot, I), and a rack portion, 0.

B represents a lever or bar, which is bifurcated near its lower end tofit over or straddle the yoke A, has a cross-rod, bar, or bearing,

(Z, to rest on either tooth of the rack portion 0, as the fulcrum of thelever, and a claw, e,

at bottom, to grasp the head of the spike on the under side thereof.Above the claw c is afinger, e, which projects forward in the 0 samedirection as the claw e, a space existing between the claw and finger toreceive the head of the spike when the latter is elevated. When thelever is fitted to the yoke, the latter is connected by means of thehook a with the under side of the head of a railroad-rail opposite tothe lever, and the base I) rested on the cross-tie. The lever is thensupported on the lowest tooth of the rack portion a, so that the claw 6may be inserted under the head of 0 the spike, and the handle end of thelever is lowered, thus starting and partially withdrawing the spike. Thelever is then raised, so that the bearingd may be placed on the uppertooth of the rack, in which motion the finger e 5 moves over and restson top of the head of" the spike, forming a fulcrum for the lever, andpreventing the lever from dropping. The bearing is now in such positionthat it may be located on the upper tooth of the rack, and the claw maytake fresh hold of the spike,

which being accomplished, the handle end of the lever is again lowered,whereby the spike is raised to full extent and entirely withdrawn. Whenthe lever is shifted from the lower to the upper tooth of the rack, thefinger e rests 5 5 on the head of the spike, as has been stated, andwhen the bearing (1 is dropped on said upper tooth the claw e is thesame distance,

or approximately so, from the under side of the head as it was when-thebearing occupied the lower tooth of the rack, whereby, when the lever islowered, the claw immediately engages with the spike and completes thewithdrawal thereof. This'action is occasioned by placing the upper toothperpendicularly over the lower tooth, and thus the claw does not changeits distance from the head of the spike. Furthermore, the claw, beingbelow, is longer than the finger, which is above, and thus when the clawengages with the under side of the head of the spike the finger is clearof the top of said head, and when the finger rests on the top of thehead the claw leaves the under side of the spike-head, and thus the twopartsviz., the claw and finger-do not interfere with each other. Byproperly turning the yoke toward the head of the rail, the hook a isdisengaged therefrom, and the yoke may be removed to another spot andsecured in position, and the lever manipulated so as to act on anotherspike, '80 the operation and result being similar to that hereinbeforestated. WVhen the spike is difficult of access, the lever may be curved,as shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 1, so as to reach the spike and beconveniently operatedv 8 5 The rack portion may be formed of notchesplaced one above the other, or well-defined teeth, the latter beingpreferred.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a spike -extractor, a yoke provided with teeth, in combinationwith a lever formed with a claw, e, a finger, e, and a fulcrum-bar, d,said claw and finger having between them a space to receive the head ofthe spike, the claw being longer than the finger and located below thesame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A spike-extractor consisting of a yoke I having a rack the teeth ofwhich are located perpendicularly one above the other, and a leverformed with a fulcrulnbar, a claw, and side of the head of the spike aswhen said bar a finger, a space existing between the claw rested in thelower tooth, substantially as 10 and finger, the finger beingabolgahwhirelg stated. when the lever is shifted to the ig er 0o [T 5 0fthe rack its finger forms a bearing on the H head of the spike, and whenthe fulcrum-bar Vitnesses: 0f the lever rests in said tooth the claw isap- J OIIN'A. \VIEDERSHEIM, proximately the same distance from the underV. F. KIROHER

